Manufacture of buttons



Dec. 11, 1923 1,477,094

E. A. WILSON MANUFACTURE OF BUTTONS Filed Oct. 12. 1921 ,5WWW,h.,,:,,,

IIIII'IIIII,

By his afforney Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES ELBERT A. WILSON, 70F ARLINGTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION NEMOURS & COMPANY, WARE.

1,477,094 PATENT OFFICE.

a 1. no ron'r or:

or DELA- HANU'FAOTUBE OF BUTTONS.

Application filed October 12, 1921. Serial No. 507,203.

T all whom it our y concern:

Be it known that I, ELnnR'r A. Wilson, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Arlington, in the county of Hudson and I State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Manufacture of Buttons, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of buttons, and, more articularly, to the manufacture of pyroxy in plastic buttons having a decorative design incorporated therein.

In equipping a garment with buttons several different sizes are of course generally used; and these various sized buttons should match in design. Usually, for womens wear, four sizes of matching buttons, varying from about one-half inch in diameter to two inches, are required. It is difiicult to produce designs which will be acceptable to u the trade for all these sizes. The large size (two inch) button has sixteen times the area of the small size (one-half inch) one and,

therefore, of a large design which looks well on the large button be used on a small button, small portions only of the large design will appear on the small button and the buttons of the various sizes will run very ununiformly and appear to have been made up from stock of entirely different colors. And, when working in the usual ways, as by means of different sized stencils or 'the like, it is a matter of no small difficulty, and of considerable expense, to produce on the different sized. buttons designs which are identical in all respects except size.

I have devised a process for manufacturing pyroxylin plastic buttons whereby such buttons of varying and desired sizes may be made, all with the same design incorporated therein, the pattern changing in size as a whole, and uniformly as to all its parts, in correspondence with changes from size to size in the buttons, and, except for the 'matter of size, being identical in all sizes of buttons. Thus, by the present process there can be made perfectly matching buttons of any and all sizes desired. It is the ob'ect of the invention to provide a process 0 the character just indicated, and, in general, to provide a process whereby buttons can be made in a relatively unexpensive, simple and satisfactory manner.

In explaining the process I make reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating, somewhat conventionally and diagrammatically, certain tages in the manufacture of the buttons, and also a stuffing machine, exemplary of ty e merely, usable in the manufacture. In t e drawings:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a completed button-stock cartridge to reduced scale (or of a button-stock rod approximately to size, as regards diameter):

Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are end views of various sizes of button-stock rods as formed by extrusion from a button-stock cartridge (or end views to successively reduced scales of the cartridge illustrated in Figure 1) Figure 6 is an edge view of a button blank as severed from a button-stock rod:

Figure 7 is a face view of a button as made from the blank illustrated in Figure 6:

Figure 8 is a diametrical vertical crosssectional view of the lower portion of an extruding or stuffing machine:

Figure 9 is a diametrical cross-sectional view of a nozzle of different diameter than that shown in Figure 8 and Figure 10 is an end view of a button-stock rod showing a grained arrangement.

In brief, the process com rises building up a button-stock cartridge 0 crude pyroxylin plastic stock to give the desired button design crosswise of its length; extruding or stufiing the-cartridge into button-stocks rods of various diameters corresponding to the sizes of button to be roduced; cutting the rods into blanks; and forming each blank into a button. In the stuffing operation the design is uniformly reduced so that the rods (and buttons) have all the same design but that design is reproduced in successively smaller sizes in correspondence with the successively smaller sizes of the rods. If desired, and is preferable for economy, separate cartridges all of like pattern may built up and the different cartridges reduced each to a rod of a size different from that of the others. The cartridges being of relatively large size com ared to the buttons permits ready duplication of the design in different cartridges, even though that design be somewhat complicated. Thus I am able to produce various sized buttons having all the same design but with the design uniformly varying from size to size in correspondence with the sizes of the buttons.

To describe the.procedure in somewhat reater detail: The desired number of hatches of pyroxylin button stock are first made up, each batch being of one of the colors which it is desired to have appear in the button design. The ingredients of the stock may be in any suitable proportions, for example (parts b Wei ht) pyroxylin 65, camphor 23, ethy alco 101 12; together with color, pigment, and a small amount of stabilizer. The batches of crude plastic, that is the plastic as it comes, say, from the masticating rolls or the sheeter, and prior to the removal by seasoning of excess solvent therefrom to reduce the solvent to the desired residual amount, are now individually shaped, and assembled to make the button-stock cartridge. tridge is built to present the design or pattern diametrically across the cartridge and extending throug out its length, or, to state it somewhat differently, it is built with the pattern extending through the cartridge in a direction substantially at right angles to the spread of the patte he specific build of the cartridg course depends on the particular design it is desired to reproduce. For illustration, a. cartridge 0, Figure 1, is shown as comprised of a series of truncated sectors 1 of brown plastic extending lengthwise through the cartridge and alternating with the elements of a series of truncated sectors 2 of White plastic, the sectors radiating from a central core 3 of brown plastic. The various portions may be assembled together in any desired manner; conveniently a cartridge such as that illustrated is built u in the cylinder of the stuffing machine. 12 cartridge is given a diameter substantially equal to the internal diameter of the cylinder. A cartridge of 9 inch diameter is generally satisfactory, and can be extruded to give rods of sizes suitable for buttons of the ordinary sizes, as one-half inch, threequarters inch, one and one-quarter inches, and two inches.

The cartridge is now drawn in a stufiing or extruding machine, for example of a type conventionallyexemplified in Figure 8. The illustrated in the stock cylinder 4 having a conical bottom 4, surrounded by the jacket 5 for circulating l1eating medium, and provided with a removable extruding nozzle 6 screwed thereon as indicated at 7. It also comprises a travelling plunger or piston 8 for forcing the plastic from the cylinder. The nozzle is provided with an extruding channel 9 and a conical channel entrance 10 which merges smoothly with and continues the ta er of the bottom 4 and the illustrated nozzlb 6 is thus representative of a series, another unit of which is shown on Fig. 9. The trance 10, is, as illustrated, such as to giie length of the enthe taper a minimum diameter equal to that of the diameter of The diameter of the channel is of course such as to give the diameter of rod desired in any particular case. Such number of nozzles as is required for the various sized rods to be d provided. In using the machine the cartridge is laced in the cylinder 4 and, upon pressure being applied thereto by the piston 8, the cartridge is forced endwise into the taper 4"-10 and the plastic extruded throu h the channel 9 into a rod of the desireg diameter. the extruding, the plastic is subjected to heat and pressure and, as will be under stood by those skilled in the pyroxylin plastic art, the various pattern-forming units are merged and joined into a unitary mass having asubstantial degree of rigidity.

pattern or design, incorporated in the original cartridge, is fully preserved but has had all of its features uniformly reduced in dimension, the amount of reduction depending, on, with, the difference between the size of rod, has subon the attern other than the reduction in size of the component parts thereof. Thus, by the use of different sized nozzles there can be produced a series of different sized button-stock rods all having the same pattern, but with the component parts of the pattern of ditferent,.and uniformly varying, sizes in accordance with the different diameters of the different units of the series.

As before indicated, a series of like cartridges can be made up and one extruded to a certain diameter, another to a difierent diameter, and so on, or a single cartridge can be part1 extruded to a certain diameter, the nozzle c anged and the eartrdige partly exstantially no effect truded to a difierent diameter and so on.

is, when the various portions of pyrox lin plastic stock are assembled to give t e pattern, they may be assembled to give the desired pattern in a sin 'le cartridge, destined to be drawn into a p urality of different sized rods, or such portions may be assembled to 've the pattern in a plurality of cartri ges, each destined to be drawn to a rod of a size diflerent from that to be drawn from the others. Such separate, cartridges may be obtained, '811.37, by building up each or by building up a cartridge and severin it crosswise into-a plurality. Of course if desired certain rods of a series may be extruded from one cartridge, and the remaining rods of the series extruded each from a separate cartridge. 7

Each button-stock cylinder, produced asthe channel in the nozzle.

above described, is cut, crosswise of, c. g., at

right angles to, its length into individual button blanks or slugs S (Fig. 6). one blank for each button. Then the blanks are pressed, as in a suitable die press. to form the blanks into buttons B (Fig. 7). The die should, of course correspond to, and substantially match, the button blank in diameter.

In order that the buttons formed by the press may have requisite rigidity for use it is of course desirable that the plastic be seasoned to reduce the solvent content, to a suitable residual amount, for example, 2 to 4 The seasoning may occur at any time after the extruding; the rods, the blanks or the formed buttons may be seasoned. Desirably it is the rods that are seasoned in order that such shrinking, and so forth, as may occur shall take place in the rods rather than in the formed buttons or blanks. In seasoning, the plastic may desirably be exposed in a drier, heated for example to 100 F., for a suitable period. Should the blanks be cold when it is desired to press them, it is desirable to warm them, to increase plasticity, prior to introduction into the press; conveniently they may be warmed on a steam table.

The elements of the pattern may obviously be built up and arranged in many different ways, the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 7 being but one example. As another example, in Figure 10 is shown a construction wherein the major pattern units, as sectors 1 and 2, are alike in that each is composed of black and white elements b and w assembled to give a grain; but the sectors are arranged to place the grains of the different sectors in different directions. Thus it will be seen that the distinguishing relationship between elements of the pattern, as sectors 1 and 2, may depend upon the arrangement of such like elements with respect to each other, rather than on differences in color between the elements. Or, as in the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 7, and also as regards efements such as b and w in Figure 10, the distinguishing relationship may depend on difference in color.

. If desired, plastic stock may be extruded into rods, the rods severed into button blanks, and the blanks shaped into buttons, thus utilizing certain advantageous features of the process, even though patterned buttons are not produced. Also, the process is not confined to the production of circular buttons, or to buttons with a circular pattern, for other shaped patterns in cylindri- -cal or other shaped cartridges can be properly reduced and produced in circular or other shaped buttons. For example, a square design in a circular cartridge can be properly produced in various sized cysponding in lindrical rods, 3. square cartridge with any desired shaped pattern ran be stuffed into different sized square rods (using of (Olll'Ht an extruding machine with a square "cylin der" and extruding channel), and so on.

In making up the cartridges. more particularly the cylindrical ones, the various batches for the elements of the pattern may, if desired. be used in sheet form and the sheets laid one on the other and rolled up together to form a cartridge with the various sheets exposed at the ends of the cartridge to give the pattern, with the pattern extending longitudinally through the cartridge.

I claim:

1. The process of manufacturing different sized patterned pyroxylin plastic buttons with the patterns in all buttons niatin but "varying in size in correspondence wit the differences in size of the buttons, which process comprises assembling various portions of pvroxylin plastic button stock with distinguis ing relationship to present the desired pattern, extruding the stock to different sizes in correspondence with the desired different sized buttons, and in a direc tion longitudinal of the pattern, thereby to produce different sized button stock masses with the patterns in all masses mating but varying in size from mass to mass, and forming each said mass into buttons.

2. The process of making incorporatedpattern pyroxylin plastic buttons of like pattern and different sizes which comprises, assembling various portions of pyroxylin plastic button stock with distinguishing relationship to give the desired pattern, ex trading the so-assembled plastic in a direction longitudinally through the pattern and into button stock masses of different sizes corresponding to the sizes of like-patterned buttons to be produced, and forming each said. mass into a set of buttons.

3. The process of making incorporatedpattern pyroxylin plastic buttons of different sizes and like pattern, with the pattern varying in size in substantial accordance with differences in size of the buttons, which process comprises making up a plurality of pyroxylin button stock cartridges, egual in number to a plurality of the sizes 0 buttons to be produced, from masses of plastic with distinguishing relationship to give each cartridge the same desired pattern crosswise of the cartridge, extruding the respective cartridges each to a rod of a diameter corresponding to a respective button size, to give a series of rods corrediameter to the different button sizes, and forming each said rod into a set of button blanks, and forming said blanks into buttons.

4. The process of makin incorporatedpatterii pyroxylin plastic uttons of diftern varying in size ance with differences in substantial accordin sizes of the button,

which process comprises making up a py- 5 roxylin plastic button stock cartridge from masses of plastic with distinguishing relationship to give the wise of the cartridge,

lesired pattern crossextending the cartrid e into rods corresponding in size and num er to a plurality of the sizes of buttons 10 to be produced, and forming each said rod into a set of buttons.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ELBER T A. WILSON.

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereb certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,477,094, granted December 11, 192? upon t e application of Elbert A. Wilson, of Arlington, New Jersey, 'for an Improvement m Manufacture of Buttons, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 111, for the misspelled word -cartrdige read cartridge; page 3, lines 127 and 128, claim 3, strike out the words button blanks, and forming said blanks into; page 4, line.8, claim 4 for the word extending read ewtmuiing; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 22d day of J anuary, A. D., 1924.

KARL FENNING,

[sun] Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

